Illinois Lincoln Highway

Illinois Lincoln Highway. The First Seedling Mile in the Country. Work commenced in September of 1914 on the “First Seedling Mile” in Malta, Illinois. This construction was key to the Lincoln Highway, which runs from Times Square in New York City, to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. , Planned in 1913 by the Lincoln Highway Association, this roadway predated the Federal Highway System and later came under the jurisdiction of the State Highway Commissions along the route. The project was completed 14 months after it began. , The road was only 10 feet wide at the time and was paved with concrete in October 1914. The Malta “Seedling Mile,” a former dirt and gravel road, became one of the first experiments using concrete for the development of better road surface. The Lincoln Highway Association began a design effort for a road section that could handle traffic 20 years into the future. , In the early 1920's, national highway experts met and specified the following paved road conditions: , . A right-of-way 110 feet in width , . A concrete road bed 40 feet wide and 10 inches thick to support loads of 8,000 pounds per wheel , . Curves with a minimum radius of 1,000 feet banked for 35 mph with guard rails at embankments , . No grade crossings or advertising signs , . A footpath for pedestrians